A Word In Spanish

I don't speak Spanish.

I wish I did. I think it would be an incredibly useful language to have. But I don't. And given my intended career trajectory, I think it is unlikely that I will get Spanish from the Department any time soon. The next languages I would like to learn are Russian and Arabic, and I would love to improve my German. so Spanish will have to wait likely until retirement.

So why is this on my mind today?

Because I am finally getting my ceiling repaired (only two and a half months later, but who is counting?). And the men they have sent to do the repairs are Spanish speakers.

Ordinarily, this would not bother me. However, I am studying Estonian. So I have made a conscious effort to avoid speaking any other languages. To my Russian (Evgeny) and Hebrew (Sara) teachers, I have not been avoiding you. I have just been avoiding having anything in my brain other than Estonian.

But now people are speaking Spanish in my house. Which is where I come to study after class. And it, along with the wreck that my house has become, makes it difficult to study effectively.

Add to that today's crisis. I came home and found the guys had opened a window. I don't blame them...lots of fiberglass, drywall and paint fumes in the air. But then I couldn't find one of our cats. I searched this house for an HOUR and she would not come out. And she is the one who comes when she is called (she thinks she is a dog).

I was panicked. I even searched outside, and tried not to panic. Tried to figure out how to tell my wife, who is already dealing with the decline in health of our older cat. Tried to plan out in my head what to put on the fliers and where to post them to find our baby. Worried about traffic, since she has never been an outside cat.

I finally found her. She was in the room with the open window, hiding under a piece of furniture. Best I can figure, she got under there before they started working, before they moved lots of other furniture around the piece she was under. And she was afraid of them so she wouldn't come out. I finally got her out and took her to the spare room. it took her another hour to really relax.

And a while after that for me to relax.

Meanwhile, they are still here speaking Spanish. So I can't study until they leave.

Man, this is going to be a long week.